Baseball batting practice device



Feb. 6, 1968 L. NAVRAN 3,367,655

BASEBALL BATTING PRACTICE DEVICE Filed July 20. 1965 26 j 40 i i E 28 I r I J l F|G.2 24'\! 5\ 42 INVENTOR. H G l LESLIE JVAVRAN AIL'TORNE Y United States Patent "ice 3,367,655 BASEBALL BATTING PRACTiCE DEVICE Leslie Navran, Los Angeles, Calif. (12045 Viewcrest Road, Studio City, Calif. 91604) Filed July 20, 1965, Ser. No. 473,348 2 Claims. (Cl. 27326) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A portable stand having an upright stanchion and a crossarm, with a ball suspended from the crossarm by a cord. A downwardly and outwardly sloping upper surface carried by the crossa rrn causes the cord to dissipate the kinetic energy thereof at a safe elevation above the player and then wind off the end of the crossarm and fall back into batting position whenever the ball is struck in a direction to cause the cord to wrap around the crossarm.

This invention relates to athletic practice equipment in general, and more specifically to a baseball batting practice device.

Batting a baseball requires the ability to bring the bat around in a proper swing to meet the situation of ball passing the batter at various elevations. Secondly, the batter needs to learn timing, that is, he needs to learn to estimate the travel time of the ball from the pitcher to the plate. The latter skill can be learned only through actual experience, but it is possible to obtain a-high degree of skill in the former discipline by means of the concepts of the present invention.

It is not possible to learn to handle a bat to the proper efficiency by mere observation. On the other hand, it is time consuming and substantially impossible to provide a trained coach to supervise practice by each aspirant. Particularly, this is true with respect to little league training where many boys desire to practice the skills taught to them.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide baseball batting practice device wherein a flexible, nonresilient cord is attached to the ball and the ball is positioned in various elevational stations with respect to the player for his use in batting practice.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the baseball batting practice device as a portable apparatus which may be dismantled for transportation from location to location.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, a preferred form of the present invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of apparatus embodying this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an illustration of the top portion of the apparatus, as in use, illustrating the function of the top guard; and

FIGURE 3 is an alternative top guard construction.

The preferred embodiment of the invention, as adapted for ease of transportation, and of assembly when brought to the place for use, is illustrated in the drawing.

The apparatus illustrated comprises a three-prong base 10, having prongs 12, 14, and 16, all of substantially equal length, united at a hub area 18. The hub area may be a central fixture to which the stems are removably attached, or united in a permanent form as illustrated.

The hub area has a vertical stem 20.

An upright stanchion post 22 is composed of a lower section 24 and an upper section 26, joined by a central socket 28. The lower end of section 24 is provided with a telescoping socket end 30 to fit over the stem 20 of the hub 18.

Patented Feb. 6, 1968 However, a screw threaded interconnection has been shown to be at least equally satisfactory.

A cross-arm 32 is carried by the upper section 26, and

, cord from pulling out of the passageway.

The ball 42 is then stationed at a particular elevation chosen by the coach or trainee to represent the height of a ball being pitched from the pitchers mound. Thus, the trainee may position his bat and learn to swing the bat smoothly and to direct the impact in such a manner as to produce the most eflicient control over the hit ball. Thus, the trainee may practice various effects for a considerable period of time without the necessity of having a live pitcher present him perfect practice pitches for such batting.

It is a concept of this invention to provide the cross-arm 32 with a guard 44 to prevent the wrapping of the cord 38 around the cross-arm. Note that the guard slopes from a high point 46 down to the end 48 at the end of the cross-arm. The guard 44 may be welded or otherwise secured to the cross-arrn.

Refer to FIGURE 2.. Here it will be seen that a hit ball has looped the cord 38 up and over the guard 44. The arrows indicate the direction of movement of the cord 38 and the resultant force created by the action of the cord upon the sloping guards. Arrow 50 indicates the direction of looping, and arrow 52 indicates the force tending to move the cord to the end of the cross-arm where it will fall down into batting position once again.

The use of the guard serves a second useful purpose in that the cord is wrapped in a large loop to prevent the ball striking the trainee-batter as it circles the crossarm. Thus, the energy of the ball is spent before it drops into position. The struck ball is prevented from becoming a flying hazard.

The guard 44 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, extends only about halfway along the length of the cross-arm 32, and the actual sloping area from the point 46 is about one-third. In actual practice, the cross-arm is preferably about three feet long.

This short loop is provided because a relatively light wire may be used for the guard 44 without additional support by limiting it to a short length. It has been found by extensive testing of the device that seldom is a ball hit such that the cord will fall inwardly of the high point 46 and require manual releasing of the ball and cord.

The merits of this invention are difiicult to explain without actual participation in the training procedure. A player, prior to the provision of this invention, received batting training by watching himself in mirrors and receiving the instructions of a coach watching him hit a ball actually pitched. It is difiicult for the human eye to follow both a fast-moving ball and a man at plate with suflicient overall comprehension to be accurate. Slow-motion pictures are often employed because of this limitation.

This invention has shown remarkable achievement in the improvement of batting skills in a very short period of practice. A player soon learns whether he has his eye on the ball, and whether he is leading the bat with his hands or bringing the bat around properly.

A swing too high will be evident at once because the bat will hit into the cord 38.

A swing too low will cause the ball to pop upwardly and fall back down in a swinging action.

A properly hit ball will have a characteristic looping swing on the end of a tight cord 38. The various characteristics of a hit ball produce very accurately determinable reactions to the swing of the ball and can be analyzed at once.

The only lack in the use of this device is that of timing in actual play, but after a batter has achieved a degree of confidence in his swing, he will quickly learn to discern between a fast and slow ball, or other particular type of pitched balls, and will not have to divert his attention to the mechanics of batting which he has learned by using the device of this invention.

In FIGURE 3, a guard 44A in the form of a sheet material fin extends along the top of the cross-arm. This type of guard may extend further than a light wire loop, because it will need no bracing to keep it strong against the wrapping tendency of cord 38. Furthermore, this type of guard affords a place where printed matter may be prominently displayed in addition to eliminating all possibility of having the cord extend over the apex of the guard.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention which is, therefore, not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be afforded the full scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A baseball batting practice device, comprising:

a ground supported cross-arm extending to an extreme end;

a baseball;

a flexible, non-resilient cord attached to said ball;

cord-supporting means carried by said cross-arm in a system to hang said ball from a position above the batting position of a person practicing;

said cord adjustable in said system to position said ball to a selected height relative to a person practicing; and

a sloping top surface means for said cross-arm, said surface means being in the form of an upwardly convex member mounted on the top of said crossarm, so that the uppermost surface thereof rises from a point intermediate the ends of the arm to a high point and then slopes downwardly to the extreme end of the arm,

said cord-supporting means providing for positioning of said ball at the end of said cord substantially directed below said end of said cross-arm and sloping top surface means;

whereby, a correctly hit ball will cause the cord to wrap around the sloping surface means and drop off the end of the cross-arm.

2. A baseball batting practice device as defined by claim 1, further characterized in that a portable stanchion base having a vertical post is employed as a means for ground support of said cross-arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,579,294 4/1926 Fisk 273-200 3,006,647 10/1961 Haskett 273--26 3,166,317 1/1965 Tumelson 273-26 3,301,556 1/1967 Hamilton 27326 FOREIGN PATENTS 712,035 6/1965 Canada.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

